If I Just Lay Here
by Akari-incognito
Summary: A collection of drabbles revolving around the characters Taiki Kudou and Akari Hinomoto from Digimon Xros Wars, mostly from Akari's point of view. Just so you know, this title, taken from Snow Patrol's "Chasing Cars," has nothing to do with anything.
1. And So It Begins

**1: And So It Begins…**

**Summary:** Akari reminisces about the time she and Taiki first met.

**Timeframe:** Sometime before their adventures started in the Digital World.

**Disclaimer ****(I'll only be saying this once, btw)****: **This is called fanfiction for a reason. I do not own any part of the Digimon franchise, not even Xros Wars; if I did, Taiki x Akari would definitely be canon along with Takeru x Hikari and Taichi x Sora. Just saying.

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><p>It was just one of those days that seemed to drag on forever, as if there were too many hours in a day. Bored with nothing to do, 12-year-old Akari Hinomoto flopped onto her bed.<em> Ugh. And this awful heat isn't helping either<em>. She rolled around on her bed. Suddenly, her cell phone rang, startling her in a sitting position.

"H-hello?"

"Hey Akari, what are you doing today?"

"Uhh…nothing much, I guess. Why?"

"Well I was going through some old stuff in my room and I discovered our old time capsule! Remember that?"

The redhead could practically see her best friend's smile over the phone. She smiled herself, imagining what his must have looked like. "Oh yeah, that thing! What about it?"

"Wanna come over and go through it with me? It just wouldn't be the same without you."

"Sure! Hold up, I'll be over in a sec." And she hung up.

_Oh wow…it's been 6 years since we made that thing…_

She hurried over to 13-year-old Taiki Kudou's house. "Hello, Mrs. Kudou!"

"Ara, Akari! It's been awhile since you last came over. Taiki's up in his room."

"Thank you!" And she scurried up the stairs.

"Yo." Taiki looked towards the door of his room and threw up a peace sign. "What's up?"

Akari grinned in return. "Hey! Where's that time capsule? I wanna see it!"

"Riiiiiight here." He held pointed to a box chock full of things from their childhood.

"Oh my gosh I feel so nostalgic looking at this!" Akari exclaimed as she picked up an old picture frame. "Remember this? This was when you lost your two front teeth." She giggled.

"Hey! Well, THIS was when you fell down on the playground and got that big ol' gash on your knee." He held up a picture of a 7-year-old Akari trying hard not to cry as her mother treated the wound. "Aww. Look how brave you looked!"

Akari's eyes softened as she took the picture from him. "Well, I only learned from the best…"

_Yes. I learned how to be brave from _you_, Taiki_. Akari's mind started to wander back from when they first met 6 years ago.

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><p>"What's with your red hair? Your parents obviously adopted you."<p>

"Yeah! Go back! Go back to where you came from!"

"Go away! No one wants you here! And you're ugly too!"

Little 6-year-old Akari could do nothing but cry at the base of the giant cherry blossom tree in Shinonome Elementary School's playground as her classmates teased and bullied her relentlessly for her bright red hair—something that no one else had in her family, not even her baby siblings.

_I know. I know I'm adopted, but is that a bad thing? Do people with real mommies and daddies not like adopted children? Do I really have to go away? I don't want to go away…_

But of course, she was afraid to ask. Afraid to ask, and afraid to know that maybe no one really wanted her around. It was a lonely feeling, and she could do nothing but cry.

"HEY YOU BIG BULLIES, LEAVE HER ALONE!"

Akari looked up, surprised. A small brown-haired boy with a pair of green goggles around his head stood glaring with his hands on his hips. Just who was this kid, defending her instead of making fun of her like the others…?

"Ahhhh, it's Taiki-senpai! Run!" The other kids immediately left Akari alone upon seeing the defiant 7-year-old.

"Wh-who…are you…? And…why aren't you making fun of my hair…" In a state of confusion, Akari had asked a stupid a question and made herself a sitting duck. _Oh no, now he's going to laugh at me too…_

The young boy only gave her a huge smile. "Taiki. Taiki Kudou! And you are?"

"A-akari Hinomoto. Why…"

Taiki looked confused. "Why what?"

"Why…why aren't you being mean like everyone else?"

Little Taiki looked deep in thought. "Well that's because…I don't know! But I guess I couldn't turn my back on you because you were crying and as long as I'm around, there won't be any crying girls!"

Akari couldn't help but smile a little bit through her tears upon hearing that. "You're weird. But thank you."

"You're welcome! Now please stop crying! Let's go buy ice cream together!" He extended his hand out to her, and she took it.

"T-taiki…kun," she said slowly, "w-will you be my friend?"

Taiki turned around, astonished. "What are you talking about? We're already friends, silly!"

Akari's eyes widened. _Already…friends…_

"And I'll teach you all about being brave like me! Did you see those kids run away when they saw me? They won't bother you again once you know how to be brave like me!" Taiki turned and smiled at her. Tears welled up in her eyes. "Wh-wha-why are you crying again?"

But Akari simply buried her face into Taiki's red vest. "Thank you," she whispered.

* * *

><p>"Oh wow, and remember this—Akari?"<p>

The sound of Taiki's voice snapped her back to reality. "Huh? What?"

"This!" Taiki held up a ragged doll. "Remember when your little sister cut her hair and you cried for days because this was your favorite doll ever? You were so silly, even back then…" Taiki chuckled. Akari laughed along quietly, but remained silent, still reminiscing about the past.

"Oooh, and look at all this stuff…" Taiki shuffled through the contents in the box, but stopped suddenly when he felt an embrace from the back. "Akari?"

"Thank you. Thank you for being my friend all these years."

_**And so it begins, a lifetime of adventure between two childhood best friends.**_

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><p><strong>AN: **Although these drabbles in no way connect to each other to form a storyline, I purposely put this drabble up as the first chapter as a sort of prelude to the rest of my drabbles. Idk, I just feel like this shows the extent of their friendship.

It is not proven, by the way, that Akari is adopted LOL. That's something I inferred, based on the fact that she really is the only one in her family with red hair haha. Since Akari is a minor character, her background story isn't explored, so I have free reign over it. :D

As always, please R/R! Nice comments (which includes _constructive_ criticism) are appreciated. :D


	2. Rainy Afternoons

**2: Rainy Afternoons are for Romantic Heroines**

**Summary:** It's raining, and Akari realizes that she forgot to bring umbrellas for her and Taiki.

**Timeframe:** Sometime after their adventures in the Digital World.

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><p>"Taiki, pass!"<p>

Akari's uninterested eyes followed as the orange ball arced from Taiki's hands to that of his teammate. She sighed. About half an hour had passed since basketball practice started, and she was bored out of her mind.

_I should have brought my DS...This is all Taiki's fault, anyway! I can't believe he agreed to help the basketball team_ again_._ Akari scowled._ They seriously need to find a new player instead of borrowing Taiki all the time!_

She reached into her special TAIKI bag (the one she only used whenever she had to go take care of Taiki) to grab herself a bottle of water. _Hmm, I should have brought two…_Her hands grasped at a pillow (to cushion Taiki's head in case he collapsed like usual), a towel, some snacks.

_Wait. Where are the water bottles…?_ She looked down to find that in her hurry this morning (Taiki had failed to remember to tell her about practice), she had totally forgotten to pack water bottles for herself and Taiki. _Crap! I need to run home now and get it!_ She looked over at the court where Taiki was guarding another player from a pass. _But can I make it in time…?_ After all, her house wasn't exactly close to Taiki's middle school. She sat there for a couple of minutes, pondering.

_Whatever, I'll just go_, she finally decided. What kind of self-proclaimed manager would she be if she couldn't even supply Taiki with something as simple as _water_? Akari sighed and got up from the bleachers where she was watching. _But I really don't want to run all that way_…

She stopped short at the gym entrance, looking dismayed. It was _pouring_ outside, and she didn't even bring an umbrella. But who would, given the circumstances of the morning? Sure, it was pretty cloudy half an hour ago, but it didn't look like it was about to _rain_ or anything. Where did all this water come from…?

Actually, the better question was, _how the hell was she going to get home now?_ Even worse, _what about Taiki?_ It was one thing for her, who was dressed accordingly to cold weather, to be drenched in the rain, but for Taiki? He would have just gotten out from practice! He'd catch a cold if he didn't stay dry!

_What do I do_…

"Rain can't be _that_ interesting to look at, can it?"

Akari jumped. "T-t-t-taiki? Wh-why aren't you practicing?"

Taiki laughed. "Scared ya, didn't I? Anyway, Tatsuya pulled a muscle and he's our captain so we're cutting practice short today. I went over to the bleachers to get you but I had no idea you were THIS interested in rain!" He laughed again.

Akari frowned at him. "That's not it! Would you please look at the situation seriously? It's POURING outside and I didn't bring umbrellas for us! We can't just—"

But Taiki wasn't listening. Instead, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her out into the rain with him. "Aww, lighten up, Akari! You can't appreciate the simplicities of life if you're always like that! Now let's run home so we don't get sick," he grinned as he dashed forward, dragging his best friend along with him.

"Wha-wai-Taiki!"

But Akari knew it was no use trying to get Taiki to listen to her because, put simply, he never did. She'd always scold him, _Don't wear yourself out! Stop overexerting yourself!_ but of course, he'd never listened, which was why she had to work so hard to make sure he didn't hurt himself. But what could she do now, in the rain with no umbrella? Nothing. Just amuse him by allowing herself to be dragged along.

A minute passed, then another…Although she wouldn't admit it out loud to Taiki, Akari was actually starting to enjoy their little run in the rain. It wasn't that she particularly _liked_ the rain or anything, but just simply being with Taiki, having that carefree feeling as they dashed through the rain, really made her heart race.

Of course, a lot of that feeling was due to her immense crush on Taiki, which, of course, she would also never admit out loud. For the time being anyway.

But the other part of that feeling…it was something a bit unfamiliar to her, that _carefreeness_. Taiki was right; maybe she did need to lighten up a bit. After all, this little rain-run was fun!

"We're here!"

Akari realized that they were standing in front of _her_ house, not Taiki's. "B-but why didn't we stop by your house first? Isn't it closer? Now you have to walk home alone in the rain…"

"Silly Akari, it's always the boy's job to walk the girl home!" Taiki winked.

Akari turned red. "W-well f-fine! Hmph. Do what you want." She motioned towards the door. "But do come in," she said in a softer tone of voice. "At least dry off and have some tea! And you can borrow my umbrella to go back home."

"Nahh, that's alright. I should probably head home so Mom doesn't worry haha. Thanks though!"

Akari frowned. "Fine. At least let me lend you my umbrella." She dashed inside to get her umbrella. "Here," she said as she emerged with her favorite Rilakkuma umbrella. "Sorry it's a little girly and kiddish—"

"Ahh, no worries! As long as it keeps me dry, right?" Taiki smiled. "Thanks a lot, Akari! Well I'm gonna go now. See ya tomorrow!" He waved and walked off.

"Yeah, see ya…" Akari said softly, closing the door behind her. She fell against the frame, heart still racing. Even though their rain-run had only lasted about ten minutes, she was still feeling the adrenaline rush it gave her.

_Hmm, lighten up, huh? Guess I could try that._ She giggled a bit. _Especially if it makes Taiki happy…_

The redhead was never fond of the rain, but sometimes, _sometimes_, rainy afternoons were meant just for romantic heroines.

Like her.

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><p><strong>AN:** Nerd fact #1: This drabble was inspired by a dream I had HAHA. An old crush of mine was dragging me through the rain, and when I woke up, I was like "GOOD PLOTLINE FOR A NEW TAIKI x AKARI STORY" and that's how that happened.

Nerd fact #2: I took the name Tatsuya from the Xros Wars manga—Taiki has a friend named Tatsuya in the manga.

Nerd fact #3: If anyone was wondering, I took the title for this drabble from one of Arina Tanemura's one-shot mangas haha. I thought it was a cute title…

As always, please R/R! Thank you :)


	3. Fearless

**3: Fearless**

**Summary:** Taiki takes Akari out for a little drive in the rain. A sequel to "Rainy Afternoons are for Romantic Heroines."

**Timeframe:** Approximately 5 years into the future.

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><p>A pretty 17-year-old dressed in a black and white knee-length, one-shoulder dress stood in front of the mirror and sighed.<p>

_Stupid rain. I can't believe Nene canceled her graduation party because of the rain…and I had spent so long trying to look nice, too!_

Akari scowled at her reflection in the mirror. She was never one to care much for appearances, but Nene's graduation party called for it. After all, she was the only incoming senior of the group, and Nene had made a special exception to invite her as the only underclassman because they had been friends for so long. So Akari knew she had to present herself well, since she was privileged enough to be invited. Her other motive, however, was to dress to impress since a certain gogglehead was going to be at the party too. She had spent the entire day last week looking for a nice dress (since Nene had said it was going to be a dance party), and then the entire day today doing her nails, her hair, her makeup.

_Wow, I totally wasted the entire day…all that_ effort_…now what?_

She flopped down on her bed. Of course, she'd have to remove her makeup, shower the curls out of her hair, change…but she was feeling too lethargic to do anything at the moment except mope around on her bed.

_And I was really looking forward to Nene's party too…to see Taiki all dressed up nicely… _She blushed a little imagining that. _Stupid rain… _She abruptly sat up after hearing a little _tink_ on her window. _What the—_

"Taiki!"

The handsomely dressed-up 18-year-old outside of her bedroom window grinned. "But soft! What light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Akari is the sun."

Akari rolled her eyes. "Very funny, _Romeo_. What are you doing below my window? This isn't some shoujo romance anime, you know. Or Romeo and Juliet, for that matter," she added.

"Oh come on, is that any way to treat the guy who's going to give you a little ride around town right now?" He smirked. "I might change my mind though, since my Juliet doesn't seem to want it—"

Akari turned red. "Don't call me your Juliet," she glared at him. "But…were you really going to take me around?"

Taiki laughed. "Of course, _my lovely Juliet_. When Nene called me about the party's cancellation, she told me to go cheer you up since you sounded pretty bummed out. So I thought I'd swing by and just drive you around town. Shinonome looks really pretty at night, y'know."

Akari blushed when she realized that it was Nene who sent Taiki over. _Dammit Nene! Though…that girl can really read minds… _After all, Akari was the most excited to see Taiki all dressed up, and now that he was here, all dressed up for her… _Well, not exactly dressed up for _me_, but whatever. I can certainly take advantage of it though, can't I?_

She grinned down at him. "Sounds great. Let's go!" She closed her window and scurried downstairs to meet him.

"Ready to go? You look stunning, by the way."

Akari blushed again. "Th-that's because Nene told me to dress up! I-I didn't dress up for _you_ or anything…" _Damn my tsundere tendencies! That was soo obvious_…

But Taiki only laughed. "Oh really? Well then Nene should tell you to dress up more often because you look really nice."

"Y-you l-look really n-nice too!" Akari managed to stutter.

"Really? Thanks. Though it feels weird not wearing my goggles…oh well!" He held out his arm and Akari took it. "Let's go."

Akari gasped as they walked to his car. Although it had stopped raining, the ground was still wet, and the illumination of the streetlights on the puddles seemed to make the street and sidewalks glow. She suddenly had an urge to ask him to slow dance with her right there in the middle of the street, but she ignored it. They got in the car.

"First stop—the Great Harumi Bridge! I heard it lights up at night, and…"

Akari stopped listening. How could she continue, when all she could focus on was how handsome her best friend (and longtime crush) looked? She fought back an urge to just scream "I LIKE YOU" when he ruffled his own hair.

_I have Taiki…all to myself..._

"Whoa! It really does light up at night! Isn't it pretty?" Taiki's amazed reaction got Akari's attention. She looked out the window.

"Uwahh! It really is!" From the corner of her eye, she noticed Taiki smiling softly at her. She turned slightly red. "A-anyways, where to next?"

"Hmm, I don't know…let's just drive around!"

They passed countless streets. To avoid Taiki's gaze, Akari steadily looked out the window. Taiki was right; Shinonome really did look pretty at night, with all of its colorful neon lights blinking along the streets. Taiki suddenly pulled over near a park on the edge of town.

"Here. Let's take a stroll here!"

Akari was surprised. "Eh? Right now? Dressed like this?"

"Of course!" He opened the passenger door and grabbed her hand. "Let's go!" He half-dragged, half-led her around the park. "Mmm I love the smell of rain. It's so fresh."

"Yeah…" Akari half-replied as she was caught up in the moment. Just then, it started to lightly drizzle. "Eh? Rain?" She felt a few fat drops hit her face. "Oh no, my makeup…! Let's get back to the car, Taiki!"

But he only grinned at her. "Aww, don't worry about such a trivial thing! Didn't I tell you to lighten up whenever it rains like five years ago or something? It's just you and me out here; there's no one to impress." He paused for a moment and added, "And don't say, 'But there's you, Taiki!' because no matter how you look, I'm always impressed by you. By your kindness."

_**And I don't know how it gets better than this, you take my hand and drag me headfirst, fearless**_**.**

Akari looked down at her heels, embarrassed. Partly because of Taiki's words, and partly because of her ruined makeup—no matter what Taiki said, she was _not_ going to show him a messily made-up face. As she looked down, she noticed the glow of the pavement again and that urge to suddenly slow dance with Taiki surfaced.

Forgetting about her ruined makeup, she looked up at him and narrowed her eyes playfully. "Okay then, I'll lighten up. How about a dance, right here, right now?"

Taiki looked surprised. Where did this personality come from? Was it something Akari had been hiding all these years? Nonetheless, "Sure. I'd love to."

Akari blushed hard when she realized what she had just done. _No wait, I didn't mean that! I thought you were going to laugh at me or something…wait, what do I do now?_

As if he could hear her thoughts, Taiki laughed. "Just relax and follow my steps." He wrapped his hands around her waist and as if it was second nature, Akari wrapped her arms around this neck. They started to sway rhythmically to the beat of the raindrops.

_Mmm…can we stay like this forever? Just you and me, dancing alone in the rain…_

_**And I don't know why, but with you I'd dance in a storm in my best dress, fearless.**_

Pretty soon Akari felt a little tired and rested her head on Taiki's shoulder.

"…like you."

"Huh?"

But Akari only gave a small, content sigh and closed her eyes. "Nothing." She didn't feel like repeating it. She just wanted to stay the way they were, forever. As she stood there in the rain, eyes closed, head resting on her best friend, she wondered how she managed to confess her love for him (even if he didn't hear her) at that moment when she couldn't all other times.

_It must be because…_

_**It's fearless.**_

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><p><strong>AN:** This one was (obviously) inspired by Taylor Swift's "Fearless." As I was writing "Rainy Afternoons," this song came up on shuffle and of course, since it had a lot of rain imagery in it, I just _had_ to make it a sequel to "Rainy Afternoons." Although nothing about it makes it a sequel except for a very weak connection to what Taiki had said earlier—for Akari to lighten up. Oh well :/

The Great Harumi Bridge…yes, it exists in Koto (Shinonome is a part of Koto), but no, it probably doesn't light up; I just wanted to write in something exciting, okay? Suspend your disbelief ):

Nerd fact: _Akari_ means "light" in Japanese (similar to _hikari_), so it was a bit of a pun when Taiki recites Shakespeare's lines and replaces Juliet's name for Akari's.

Aaaaaand you know the drill. R/Ring would be nice :)


	4. Only You

**4: Only You**

**Summary:** Taiki and Akari go outdoor rock climbing together.

**Timeframe: **Approximately 4 years into the future.

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><p>"C'mon Akari! Just don't look down! You'll be fine!"<p>

The 16-year-old redhead looked up to find her best friend at least 10 feet ahead on the course. "Easy for you to say!" she glared back at him. "You're super athletic and practically fearless! Just because I don't have acrophobia like Zenjirou doesn't mean that I'm not a little bit scared of heights!"

"But Akari! We'll never make it to the top by lunchtime if you keep stopping and looking down like that…"

"That's why I told you I didn't think that this would be such a great idea after all!" Akari stuck her tongue out at Taiki. "Can't we just hang out the way normal friends hang out?"

"But that'd be so boring! C'mon Akari, where'd your adventurous spirit go?" Taiki chuckled.

"Never had one. That's why Omegamon left me behind back then, right?" she joked.

"Nahh, and you know that's not true!" Taiki said sternly. "Now hurry up! You're past halfway there!"

Akari sighed. About a week ago, Taiki had excitedly barged into her house, waving around a couple of slips of paper and mentioning something about getting a discount for outdoor rock climbing.

"Oh. Yay?" She had replied confusedly, not knowing how to respond.

"Of course yay!" he had exclaimed. "That means that we can have a private picnic at the top for HALF-PRICE!"

"Oh—WAIT, 'WE'?"

Taiki had looked slightly confused. "Well of course. Who'd you want me to go with, Kiriha?"

"NO, it's not like that! I-I was just taken aback, that's all. I mean, it sounds…_unique_, but I don't think it'd be such a good idea…"

"Aw, don't worry about it. It'll be fun! Let's go next Saturday, okay? Leave that day open for your date with me!" he had joked, winking as he left as suddenly as he came.

"But wait…" she had tried to call after him, but he was already gone.

_And now, here we are_…Akari thought, slightly annoyed. She sighed again, trying not to look down. Like Taiki said, at least she was past halfway! Indeed, she had cleared 20 feet, but it had taken a tremendous amount of willpower and brute strength to make it that far. How the hell did Taiki manage to make it near the top? Oh wait—now he was _at_ the top.

"Akari! Don't keep me waiting for so long!" He called to her, waving one hand in the air.

"Yeah, yeah," she grumbled. _Okay_, she breathed to herself, _I can do this. I got this._ Slowly, she inched herself up the boulder; right foot, left foot. Right hand, left hand. Repeat, repeat, repeat. Pretty soon, she was near the top.

"There you go! See? That wasn't so bad after al—"

But Taiki had spoken too soon. At that moment, while trying to grab onto the top, Akari's sweaty hands slipped off and she started to fall backwards.

"Akari!"

The next thing Akari knew, she was (finally) at the top.

But she was also on top of Taiki, who had fallen over backwards trying to pull her back up.

"OHMYGOD I AM SO SORRY," she spluttered, her face bright red. She immediately reeled away from him.

"Heh heh that's okay, it wasn't your fault," Taiki rubbed his head, looking rather embarrassed himself.

"A-anyway, l-let's eat now! You have our bentos, right?" Akari found it hard to meet his eye.

"Y-yeah." Taiki unzipped his backpack and took out two neatly wrapped bentos that Akari had prepared in the morning. "Here." He handed Akari her bento. Their hands brushed slightly as she took it from him, and she blushed a little.

"Th-thanks."

Taiki opened his bento and eyed the contents: some vegetables, the typical octopus-shaped sausages, rice topped with red bell peppers and two olives arranged in the form of Shoutmon's head. "Oh wow, this looks so good!" He took a giant bite of the rice. "Thanks, Akari!" He flashed her a huge smile.

Seeing that signature smile, Akari blushed again. "Th-thanks. I'm glad you like it…" She poked at her rice, trying to calm her racing heart.

"Huh? Why aren't you eating your bento?"

"I lost all my appetite climbing that horrendous thing," Akari tried to joke, pointing to the side of the boulder.

"Ahh, but you really should eat! I mean, that climb took a lot of energy out of _me_, so I'd imagine you'd be even more tired than me!" Taiki looked over at her, concerned.

The concern in his face made Akari's heart beat even faster. "S-stop looking at me like that! I'm not 12 years old anymore! I'm a big girl now! I can take care of myself!" But Taiki wouldn't avert his gaze. "Okay, okay, I'll eat," she grumbled, taking a small bite of her rice. It was honestly so hard to eat when her heart was beating a mile a minute…since when did this innocent picnic turn so awkward?

_Oh right, since I found myself on top of Taiki…_

Satisfied, Taiki looked off into the distance. "I'm…really glad you came, Akari. I wouldn't have done this with anyone else but you."

"Eh?"

"Zenjirou would refuse at once because of his acrophobia. Kiriha just wouldn't care. And Nene…well, if I went with Nene, people might get the wrong idea."

"Get the wrong idea…?"

Taiki looked at Akari and grinned. "That we're going out or something, silly! That's why it has to be you. Only you."

Akari turned red. "Well actually I—"

"WHOA since when did it turn past 1? We gotta get down soon because I promised Yuu I'd be his kendo practice buddy at 2!" Taiki exclaimed, looking at his watch.

_No way!_ Akari felt frustrated. The mood was _perfect_, and she was just about to confess her love for Taiki...

"Uh Akari? You okay? You look a bit out of it…"

"N-no, I'm fine. A-anyways, let's go then! Can't keep Yuu waiting, ha ha ha!" _Well damn. That was anti-climactic_. Taiki smirked, and Akari instantly felt nervous. "Wh-why are you smiling like that…"

"'Cause y'know, the only way down is the same way we came up…you ready?"

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><p><strong>AN:** Sorry for the abrupt ending…but I wanted to leave Akari's reaction completely up to you guys hehe C:

Although I have never actually gone outdoor rock climbing (been indoor rock climbing plenty of times though :D), I know that there are ropes and pulleys and stuff so you don't fall…I didn't know how to incorporate that into my story without ruining the mood (because I really wanted the suspense of Taiki grabbing Akari so she wouldn't fall), so I just left it out altogether. Suspend your disbelief, yeah? :D

And as always, R/R-ing would be nice :D


	5. The Watermelon Game

**5: The Watermelon Game**

**Summary:** It's a beach day for the whole gang, and Akari soon finds herself alone with Taiki after a round of _suikawari_.

**Timeframe:** Sometime after their adventures in the Digital World

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><p>It was a warm summer day in Shinonome; the sun was shining bright overheard with minimal clouds, and the seagulls were flying about, looking for a nice, shady spot to land on before getting chased away by playful children. It was noontime, but the beaches were already packed with people wanting to enjoy a nice summer's day before vacation ended. Among the crowds, five young teenagers were gathered under a large umbrella, engaged in a game of <em>suikawari<em>.

"Now remember," a girl sporting a brown, fountain-like ponytail smirked, "whoever successfully splits the watermelon has to spend time alone with whoever had a turn before them!"

The blindfolded teenager with spiky brown hair rolled his eyes (even though no one could see him do so). "We know, we know, Nene-san! Can we just start now?"

A blonde teenager crossed his arms and sighed. "I don't see why you're so eager, Zenjirou. Even if you did manage to split the watermelon with your allocated three hits, there'd be no one for you to spend time with since you're the first person."

"He just wants to impress Nene," giggled the other girl, a redhead sporting two low pigtails. Although she was teasing him, she knew all too well the feeling of wanting to impress a certain someone…after all, the person whom she wanted to impress was standing right there among them.

"You shut up! It's not as if you're not going to try to impress Taiki either!" Zenjirou retorted, glaring through his blindfold.

The smirk playing on Akari's lips instantly turned into a frown as she turned bright red. "_What did you say?_"

"Now, now, let's not bicker, _children_," Nene said, slightly sarcastic. "Here's your bat, Zenjirou-kun." She handed him a wooden bat and then proceeded to spin him around 5 times. "Alright, go!"

Zenjirou, who was never good with motions and vertigo, immediately swayed to his right when Nene let him go. He slammed the bat down, only making contact with sand. In the background, he could hear Kiriha snickering at him. "Shut up!" he roared, pointing a finger to no one. "I am Zenjirou Tsurugi, the master swordsman! I won't miss the next two shots!"

Or so he said. His next swing also failed to hit its target.

"Hmm, some master swordsman, huh?" Akari giggled. This was payback for his earlier comment!

"You shut up!" He seemed to be saying that a lot. "Watch, I definitely _won't_ be missing this next one." The vertigo having worn off by now, Zenjirou stood straight up and took a deep breath. "It's…right…here!" He slammed the bat down, _finally_ making contact with the watermelon. "Did I split it?" he asked excitedly, tearing off his blindfold.

"Hmph! Of course not, you dimwit," Kiriha rolled his eyes. "Three continuous hits to a watermelon is already stretching it."

Zenjirou pouted at him. "I was only wondering…" He handed Nene the blindfold and bat. "Here you go Nene-san!"

She took both articles, thanked him curtly, then proceeded to be spun around by Akari.

"Okay…go!"

Nene took a few shaky steps towards the watermelon. She slammed the bat down, making contact.

"Whoa…" Akari breathed in amazement. "You go Nene!"

Nene turned towards Akari's voice and gave a thumbs up. However, upon turning back, she lost her sense of direction, causing her to miss the next shot. Taking a deep breath, she straightened up and tried again. The third shot hit, although it wasn't enough force to split the watermelon. "Aww darn it!" she pouted. "Here, it's your turn Kiriha-kun!" She handed him the articles.

"Mm." He took them from her and was spun by her.

She pushed him slightly forward. "Gogogo!"

Kiriha, being the cold strategist who knew all about strength, easily hit the watermelon all three times. But even as strong as he was, he was only able to start a small crack in the watermelon.

"Guess the next person might be able to do it," Nene said, then slowly smirked as she realized that Akari was next in line. "Your turn, sweetie," she teased.

Akari gulped. If she really did manage to somehow split the watermelon, then she'd have to spend time—alone!—with Kiriha…how awkward! And besides, she _really_ wanted to spend time with her best friend and (not-so-secret) crush, Taiki…She decided that she was going to purposely miss all three shots. "O-okay!" she said shakily, taking the articles from Kiriha. "Here goes nothing…" _Literally_.

It really was quite uneventful as Akari successfully had an unsuccessful turn with the watermelon. "Heh heh," she laughed sheepishly at the others' gawking expressions. "Guess I'm no good at these things…" She handed the articles to Taiki, who was the last to go. "Good luck!"

He smiled his usual huge grin at her. "Thanks Akari! Sorry that your shots didn't hit…"

_That's because I didn't want them to hit!_ But she only smiled back. "That's okay…"

"Taiki-kun, you ready?" Nene asked after blindfolding and spinning him.

"Yepp!"

"You can go now!" She let go of him.

Needless to say, the brilliant young general was able to hit all three times; on his last shot, a loud _crack_ filled the air as the watermelon messily split. Everyone looked on with awe.

"T-taiki-kun, you did it!" Nene smiled as he took off his blindfold. "Guess that means…" Everyone looked at Akari.

Having three pairs of eyes on her (Taiki's pair was busy looking down at his feet), Akari immediately turned red. "Wh-wh-why are you guys all looking at me like that…"

"Well because…" Nene giggled.

"A certain someone will be getting one-on-one time with Taiki over here," Zenjirou smirked as he slapped Taiki on the back. "Isn't that right?" Even the normally stony-faced Kiriha managed a teasing smile.

"Well?" Nene said evilly. "Let's go, you guys. Leave these two _lovebirds_ alone." She motioned to Kiriha and Zenjirou, pointing towards the water. "We'll be in the water if you guys need anything. And Akari, don't do anything I wouldn't do!" Nene winked at her.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Akari called after her. But Nene only waved.

"S-so uh…nice weather we're having, huh?"

Akari spun around. "Y-yeah…can't believe summer vacation's almost over though…"

Taiki looked up at her and smiled. "Me neither. But I'm glad I'm spending my last few days with them" he pointed down to the water, "and you."

Akari blushed slightly. Was there a reason why he said "them and you" rather than "you guys?" Maybe she was just overanalyzing it, but what if he actually…? _Akari_, she scolded herself, _don't you see it? This is the perfect time to tell him you like him! When the two of you are alone!_ Realizing the situation she was in, Akari tried to speak up.

"You know Taiki, I—I…um…er, how do I say this…" she nervously looked down at the sand.

"Hmm?"

"I, um, am glad that I'm spending my last few days with you too!"

Akari mentally slapped herself. That was _not_ what she wanted to say! And on top of that, she accidentally omitted the word "guys," making it sound like she was glad to be spending time with only Taiki. _Which isn't a lie, _she thought, _but…_

But Taiki took no notice of the omission. "Yeah," he sighed. "Then when school starts, we won't be seeing each other around as much anymore." He turned to Akari. "But," he added hopefully, "at least next year we'll be going to the same school, right? Don't worry, I'll make sure none of the third years bully you."

Akari smiled softly. "Thanks. And I'll make sure you won't pass out from exhaustion like you usually do!"

They both laughed. It was a nice feeling, being able to just chill on the beach with her favorite person before school started again, without a care in the world. Even though she still couldn't bring herself to tell him that she liked him (how many years had it been since she first tried?), she wanted this moment to last forever. Just him and her, the sun, the sand, and the smell of the ocean. _Wait. And the smell of_… At that moment, Taiki looked at her and she knew they were thinking of the same thing. He spoke first.

"Oh yeah…want any watermelon?"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **_Suikawari_: a traditional Japanese game that involves splitting a watermelon with a stick while blindfolded. Played in the summertime, suikawari is most often seen at beaches, but also occurs at festivals, picnics, and other summer events. The rules that these five play by were a twist that Nene made up, since from the very beginning she was planning to get Taiki and Akari alone...;D

Ugh out of all the drabbles I've written so far, I like this one the least. It feels rushed (even though I spent forever on this one) and I don't know! It was tough to write since it's my first drabble including the other three characters…Anyway, this drabble had an odd inspiration. I was eating watermelon the other day while watching the Japanese channel when I suddenly thought, "Hey, don't the Japanese hit watermelons kinda like how we hit piñatas?" So I looked it up. It sounded like it'd be a fun plot for a drabble, and that's how that happened lol.

Nerd fact: When Taiki says "At least next year we'll be going to the same school," he really means in like 6 months...the Japanese school systems ends in March-ish and starts in April.

Other than that, you know the drill hehe. Thanks for reading!


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